


Totally El

by notamundane2004



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016), Stranger Things - Fandom
Genre: Clueless AU, F/M, Mileven, eventual Lumax, stranger things, the Clueless au that I needed
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-10
Updated: 2018-09-16
Packaged: 2019-06-08 01:56:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,736
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15232842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/notamundane2004/pseuds/notamundane2004
Summary: Jane “Eleven” Hopper is Cher in the Clueless AU nobody asked for.When Eleven sets out to set her new friend Max up with her step-brother Mike, she gets more than she bargained for. Along with the help of Will Byers, her best friend, she realizes that maybe her life isn’t as perfect as she always thought.





	1. You Make Me Crazy

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! I’m super excited for this, Clueless and ST are my favorite things. :)

Despite how it may seem, I have a fairly normal life for a sixteen-year-old girl. Each day, I get up, get dressed and eat breakfast. My father, Jim Hopper, is the chief of the local police station. In my (Jane, or as I prefer, Eleven) opinion, the chief is the scariest type of police officer. Not that my dad is scary, but he is certainly good at his job. My mom died when I was very little, a freak accident during her time working at a lab. I didn't get a chance to really get to know her, but I still admire her. Hop always talks about how beautiful she was, and how I look exactly like her. So really, my life isn't perfect, but it's certainly close.

 

"Dad! Please remember to get your flu shot today! And seriously, coffee and a cigarette are not substantial breakfast foods," she chided him, before grabbing the unlit cigarette out of his hands, giving him an orange instead. Hopper groaned, but ruffled his daughters hair.  
"Jesus, where would I be without you?" He joked, before taking a swig of his coffee.  
"Probably in a hospital," she retorted.  
"Oh, by the way, Mike is coming over tonight," he told her. Now it was El's turn to groan.  
"Why?" she complained. Mike was the bain of her existence, her ex-stepbrother that she did not like at all.  
"Eleven, he is your step brother!" her father exclaimed. Eleven sighed, prepared to argue with him. "Hop, you were married to his mother five years ago! And it barely lasted!" she insisted. Hopper gave her a stern look.  
"You divorce wives, not children," he told her, before placing a hand on her shoulder.  
"Well, if that's the case, why do I never seen Nancy or Holly?" she asked. Mike was her least favorite of the Wheeler children, she'd actually liked Nancy and little Holly.  
"Because, Nancy is busy with work, and Holly is in school. Now I'm going to work, no more debate," he finished. With that, Jim left the cabin, leaving Eleven in a sour mood. The girl grabbed her car keys, before heading out the door. She was not looking forward to seeing Mike, but there was nothing she could do. Once her dad got something in his head, he wouldn't let it go.  
Her car was an old Jeep her dad had gotten cheap from a friend. Sure, the car wasn't new, but Eleven loved it. She loved having the freedom to drive wherever she wanted to, well within reason. She still didn't have her license. On the way to school, Eleven stopped by her best friend Will's house. Will and her had been friends for ages, mostly because they both loved art. Will could draw anything, and Eleven loved to take photos. She and Will made the perfect team, especially when it became time to work on the yearbook.  
"Will!" Eleven called out, as she saw her friend running to the car.  
"Hey, ready for school?" He asked her with a smile.  
"You know it," She giggled back at him. The girl began the drive, careful to do every little thing that was necessary to pass her driver's test. She kept driving, coasting along.  
"That was a stop sign!" Will exclaimed, after the brunette ran through a road she shouldn't have been on. Eleven looked behind her, realizing she had just broken a rule.  
"I totally paused!" Eleven said, defending herself. To be honest, she hadn't been paying attention. The girl put it out of her mind as they pulled into school. Both of them hopped out of the car, before walking to school. Will groaned, and Eleven looked at her friend with worry.  
"Will? What's wrong?" she asked, her friend was never frustrated with things that were meaningless, but lately Will had been acting stressed.  
"It's not even eight thirty and Dustin is paging me," Will explained. Eleven rolled her eyes. Will and Dustin had been dating for years now, but they argued all the time. The brunette liked Dustin, but she wished he would stop being so possessive of Will. Of course, she did realize that it was easy to be scared that Will would leave the relationship. It certainly wasn't easy being the few gay kids at school, let alone in a relationship. Still, that didn't have to stop them from being in a healthy relationship. Just then, she saw the mass of curly hair coming towards her.  
"Willy! Why haven't you been answering any of my pages?" he demanded.  
"Dustin, please. I do need my space, ok?" he replied calmly. Eleven knew that when they argued it wasn't pretty, mostly because Will was so soft natured. He mostly ended up upset, and during the worst times he cried. It was hard for the girl to watch, because she cared about Will so much.  
"Will, I'm outtie," she whispered into his ear. Will waved goodbye to her, before continuing his conversation with Dustin. El rolled her eyes once more at their arguing. She couldn't understand why Will was dating a high school boy. They were immature, and nervous creatures. The chance of finding a decent one like Will was rare. As she was thinking about this, a random boy put his arm around her.

"Ooo! Get off of me! Ugh, AS IF!" she squealed, before shoving the boy away. El patted her skirt down, making sure her outfit was still presentable. The girl walked to class, she had debate first. The girl was actually pretty good at debate, in her opinion. The class always applauded her after all.  
"Jane, you first please," The teacher, Mr. Newby said. Eleven got up, excited to share with the class. She'd been nervous a long time ago, but now she was much better at public speaking. Her classmates encouraging her had given her lots of confidence over the years.  
"So, ok, like right now, for example, people are like "Should it be legal to use people to test science?" And some people are like "it's for the greater good." But they're wrong. Cause if the people themselves don't give consent, then it's just bad. You see, one time I was at the store looking for makeup, right, and a ton of people were protesting for animal rights. And at the time I was like, that's awful! But now, I realize, how are we supposed to protect animals if we can't even protect ourselves?" Eleven finished with a cheer. The whole class began to clap, and she curtsied. Mr. Newby looked a little confused, but he didn't say anything.  
"Alright, Mrs. Hayes, your rebuttal?" He asked Eleven's enemy Jennifer.  
"Mr. Newby, how am I supposed to answer that? The topic was "Is it cruel to experiment on humans," and she's talking about buying makeup," the girl replied.  
"Any further comments?" he asked the class. Lucas Sinclair, the resident skater boy of the class raised his hand.  
"So, the way I feel about D&D, is the way that my kids are going to feel about whatever's popular then. So I should really stop having campaigns for 10 hours shouldn't I?" Lucas asked.  
"Well, that's not what I meant, but any insight is good insight," Mr. Newby said.  
"With that, your report cards," he said, before passing out the grades. Eleven smiled, she was certain she'd get a good grade. Her reports were always convincing, everyone was on her side. Her cheery smile dissolved when she saw her grade.  
A C in debate?  
How was this possible? Eleven always had great debates, why did she receive such a poor grade? She noticed Lucas jumping onto the window sill in embarrassment. Me too Lucas, me too, she thought to herself.  
"And could the suicide attempts please be postponed till the next period?" Mr. Newby asked rhetorically. Eleven sighed, feeling her day was ruined by her bad report card. She studied hard in other subjects, really. It just seemed like the world was crashing down on her, all because of one bad grade. El trotted down the hallway, in desperate need of Will. He always knew how to cheer her on when things were getting rough.

"Will?" she asked into her cellphone.  
"Hey Ellie" he replied.  
"Did you get your report card?"  
"Yeah, I got mostly A's, except for in debate and social studies,"  
"I totally choked. Hop is going to go ballistic on me."  
"Mr. Hall was way harsh!" Eleven nodded, before seeing the boy and walking to him.  
"He gave me a B minus," Will said with a groan. "And I was doing so well this term too," Will added.  
"Well, he gave me a C, which drags down my entire average," Eleven said with distaste. The day was almost over, and they both had to go their separate ways.  
"Bye."  
"I'll call ya, OK?" Eleven added, before walking out of the school.  
"Yeah," Will replied, then disappearing into the mob of people.  
Eleven sighed, but she was still glad school was over. The girl walked over to her car, ready to head home.  
"Hey, Mama. 98 in geometry. Tubular, am I right?" she said to the framed picture of her mom, Terry Ives, that hung near the entrance. Eleven liked to pretend that she was watching over her, even though she really didn't remember much of her mother. Eleven walked into the kitchen, where she heard the familiar music that meant her least favorite ex-step-brother was home.  
"What is it about college and hipster music?" she asked, tapping Mike's shoulder. She wasn't surprised that he was rummaging through the fridge. He always was hungry, even though he never gained weight. Eleven though he looked like a string bean.  
"What is it about high school girls and the mall?" he replied. She rolled her eyes, taking in his ugly sweater. That was literally his whole wardrobe, fuzzy sweaters with outrageous patterns on them.  
"Mike, it's a little early for the ugly Christmas sweaters," she replied with a glare. He gave her a fake smile and went to make himself a bowl of cereal.  
"Excuse me, this was a gift," he added. She rolled her eyes as he poured the milk into a bowl.  
"Wow, your face is really catching up with your mouth," she joked, not at all surprised at the amount of food he was eating. College kids had crazy appetites at all hours.  
"I swung by Dad's station today," Mike told her. She narrowed his eyes at him, when would he get it into his thick skull he wasn't a part of the family?  
"Mike, for the last time, he's not your dad. Can't you go torture your new family?" She asked, rolling her eyes. The two entered the living room and sat on the couch. Eleven grabbed the remote and turned it on to her favorite soaps.  
"El, you watch this stuff?" Mike asked with a laugh. He grabbed the remote and changed it to the news.  
"Excuse me!" She jeered, grabbing the remote and changing it back. She also hated the nickname "El", yet he still insisted on calling her by it. Eleven and Mike battled for the remote, which ended up a full out war. Mike started to tickle her, which was her weakness. El hated to be tickled, and he knew that. She squirmed away but it was too late.

"I got it!" Mike yelled, as he changed the channel once again. Both of them were interrupted by Hopper coming through the door.  
"I'm glad to see you chuckleheads getting along," he yelled over the sound of their fight. The two scrambled to meet him at the table, with Eleven slapping Mike a few times on the arm.  
"Mike, you've gotten taller! Doesn't he look taller Eleven?" Hopper asked his daughter.  
"His mouth does," she replied with faux innocence. However, El had to point out that Mike had grown. He dad was 6 foot 3, and Mike was definitely getting closer to him in height. It didn't help that she herself was only 5'3". Now Mike would be mocking her height, as well as her personality. Eleven rolled her eyes yet again. Mike being home really ruined her day. Mr. Newby giving her a bad grade was the least of her problems. She could always convince him to raise it up. Every semester so far she'd argued with her teachers to better her grades. This one wouldn't be different.

"Eleven? Eleven? Where is your report card?" her father asked her. El coughed, before biting her lip.  
"Well you see, it isn't ready yet," she explained.  
"Explain Hopper," Mike asked her with his arms crossed, imitating her dad's fierce look. El tried to not to snicker at how much of a dork Mike was, because she didn't want her dad to think she was laughing at him.  
"Well, some of my teachers graded me unfairly. So I'm just getting justice for what I deserve!" she explained. Her father raised an eyebrow, but he smiled too.  
"That's my stubborn Ellie," he joked, ruffling her curly hair. Her dad left the room, saying he was going to make dinner. Mike moved over to the brunette, and she smirked at him.  
"You really think you're going to get all your teachers to change your grades?" he asked suspiciously.  
"I've done it every semester. So yes, I do," she replied haughtily. Mike rolled his eyes at her, before rubbing his head.  
"Whatever you say. I'm going to help Dad," Mike replied, before leaving. El scoffed. He was so annoying! He'd barely been home a day and was already criticizing her. That's why she much preferred Holly, the young girl admired El, and never was rude to her. She was so unlike her brother. The girl plopped on the couch and grabbed her the phone from the wall. She pulled the cord way over so she didn't have to get up.  
"Will, you there?" she asked into the phone after dialing his number.  
"Hey, what's up?" he replied a moment later.  
"Mike is giving me so much hate."  
"Awe, sorry Ellie."  
"It's ok, I'm just so annoyed by him. Like he can't just waltz in here and expect me to listen to him," Eleven explained.  
"I see your point. Look, I have to go eat dinner, but let's talk tomorrow, ok?" he asked.  
"Yeah, sure," El replied, before hanging up. The girl frowned, she had called Will so he could help her, but it was no use. Nothing consoled her.  
"Dinner!" Hopper yelled, breaking El out of her thoughts.

The girl got up, her stomach growling.  
"I'm coming," she called back. Eleven walked into the kitchen, ready for another TV dinner. She sat down, and began to eat her food.  
"So Mike, how was college?" Hopper began.  
"Oh good, you know, I'm starting to think I should write more too, just so while I'm doing computer science I don't forget about what I love," he added.  
"Well Mike, you're very smart. But you don't want to end up like me, sure I'm very happy with my family and job, but I could have been more. You don't want to be miserable because a dream didn't work out," Hopper advised him.  
"Oh don't worry," El started, "Mike will be miserable no matter what he does," she muttered snarkily.  
"Eleven!"  
"What?" Eleven said with a laugh. Sure, she didn't like Mike, but she sure did like making fun of him.


	2. There She Goes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eleven meets Max, Operation Boyce is underway, and Mike and El continue to roast each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y’all, I’m sorry this took so long! I hope it’s worth it :)

El was totally lost when it came to figuring out how to get her grades up. Her dad would be royally pissed if he knew she had a C-, that she couldn’t bring up. The brunette sighed moodily, as she walked to Will’s front porch. She hadn’t been in the mood to drive, so she’d gotten up early and decided to walk to school. The door opened, and she saw Joyce, or Mrs. Byers. El grinned at the woman, who was like a mother to her. Hopper had needed some help learning to take care of little Eleven, and Joyce had been there every step of the way.  
“Hey Joyce, is Will around? I thought we could walk to school today. Also, I see you’re ready for your first day!” El beamed. Joyce had gotten a job as the school nurse and today was her first day. El had been really excited for her because her previous job had been so grewling, and didn’t pay well. Now she would be an amazing nurse, because of her mom instincts.  
“Hi sweetie, Will is coming down,” Joyce replied with a kind smile. Will hobbled down the stairs, yawning.  
“Eleven? It’s kind of early. What are you doing here?” He asked.  
“Well we’re walking to school today!” Eleven replied with amusement. Will was probably tired from hanging out with Dustin all night, which El had learned after calling him back the previous night. Will grabbed his bag, hugged his mom and was out of the door.   
“Will, would you say I’m stupid or lazy?” Eleven asked with a sad smile. She didn’t really believe Mike, but his snarky comments towards her always made her out to seem as if she wasn’t smart.   
“What no! Ellie, you are the smartest, and the sweetest, is Mike being a jerk?” Will asked with concern. The girl shrugged, but she held her friend’s hand, squeezing it in thanks.   
“I don’t know, just forget it.” Thankfully, Will didn’t say anything more. He always knew when Eleven didn’t feel like talking. That’s why they made such good friends, they could read each other without words. The two friends walking into the building, waving goodbye. Eleven had debate first thing again. She really needed to find a way to make Mr. Newby happy, so he’d be more willing to improve her grades. What could he possibly want though? He had a job, but he didn’t have kids, a wife, or much of a social life. He actually seemed pretty sweet, but was a very harsh grader. El realized just then what he needed.   
A girlfriend!   
Of course, finding the perfect woman would be hard. They’d have to accept him for who he is, which is a nerdy, middle aged debate teacher. Woman were definitely head over heels for him. Then again, at one point her dad had a line of girls down the street that wanted to go on a date with him. Sure the thought of her the woman she knew swooning over Jim Hopper made her want to gag, since he was her dad! However, she remembered hearing someone tell her that Joyce had briefly had a fling with Jim. Mrs. Byers was so kind, she was practically El’s second mom. Another lightbulb went off for El. Mrs. Byers would be the perfect person for Mr. Newby! She wasn’t judgmental, and would accept him for who he was. She was a nurse too, so his career wasn’t a problem. And they’d be very sweet together. The only problem was telling Will her idea, and getting him to go along with it.

“You want to do what?!” Will asked with confusion. Eleven sucked in a breath, convincing Will to give his blessing so she could get Joyce and Mr. Newby together. She really didn’t see why he couldn’t tell that this was for the greater good. El’s grades would go up, and Joyce and Bob would be happier people. There were no cons!  
“Come on Willy! It would make your mom happier, she hasn’t had a boyfriend in ages!” Eleven insisted. Will sighed. She could tell that this was a turning point for Will. They all wanted to see Joyce happy, even if Eleven had her own vendetta.   
“I don’t know, this is my mom we’re talking about,” Will added. El knew her next words were crucial, she’d either sway him or he’d jump off the boat.   
“El,” he started.  
“Will!” El  
“Do you really think it would make my mom happy?” Will gingerly replied. Eleven bit back a smile,  
“Yes, who isn’t happy when they get a new boyfriend?” Judging by the wistful look on Will’s face, El knew she had won.

The hard part was getting them to meet. Joyce was very busy, and all the students loved her. Mr. Newby on the other hand, was busy with the A.V club that there school had. He was always trying to get kids to sign up, but it was hard. The club was mostly for the really intelligent kids at the school, actually Will had gone to a few meetings. El herself had too little free time to be participating in such clubs, but she didn’t think badly of it. She had been careful with how much she got Will involved, as this was his mom. What she’d done was asked Mr. Newby to go to the nurses office so many times, he’d eventually gone with her to make sure she was actually going. Then when Joyce met Mr. Newby, they made polite conversation, but it wasn’t enough for El. She realized she’d need to step things up a bit.  
“Mr. Newby, what are you doing this weekend?” She asked one day, planning a scheme in her head.  
“Well Jane, I don’t know. What are you doing?” He asked her politely.  
“Shopping. Now back to you, don’t you want to spend time with your wife and kids?” She asked, her voice laced with faux innocence. Mr. Newby shrugged, looking a little deflated.  
“I’m not married, nor do I have kids,” he muttered, with a sad smile. In this moment, El realized she couldn’t have picked someone better to be with Joyce. Joyce was the ultimate mom, and while some thought her to be a little crazy, she proved time and time again that she would do anything for those whom she loved. Eleven smiled, so eager for her plans to unfold.   
“What?! Really? You know, I heard that the RadioShack is having a really good sale, and I was thinking maybe you’d like that,” Eleven replied bashfully. She smiled in a childlike manner, the way little kids often do. Mr. Newby, to her surprise, smiled back.  
“Why Jane, it’s so kind of you to think of old me. But I assure you, I am really ok. Maybe I will check it out, I do love the RadioShack,” he replied wistfully. El snickered, this had been a success. With a wave to her teacher, she giddily wandered down to the Nurse’s Office.   
“Joyce! I mean Mrs. Byers, what’s up?” She asked happily. Joyce raised an eyebrow at Eleven’s giggliness, but didn’t say anything.  
“Not much, Jane I mean Ms. Hopper. What brings you here? Your stomachs feeling better right?” Joyce replied with concern. El felt a rush of warmth for the woman, she always cared for her, as if she was her own daughter.  
“Yes totally. I was just thinking, they’re having a sale this weekend at RadioShack, and I was wondering if you’d come with me. I need to get Hop a present, but I have no idea what,” Eleven explained. She knew her excuse wasn’t as strong as when she’d talking to Mr. Newby, but she needed something! This was the only way! El had gone to far to go back, and this was no longer about getting her grades up. She genuinely wanted them together, because she knew it would be so right. Heading back to class with a grin on her face, she was so eager for the weekend to start.

“Eleven Hopper!”  
Eleven looked up, with a little smile on her face.  
“Yes?” She asked innocently to her father. He had a stern expression on his face, so she knew she wouldn’t be getting out of anything easily.  
“How is it that you have three tickets for speeding, and you don’t even have a license?” He said in a deadly calm manner. Eleven grimaced, she’d remembered getting a warning, but hadn’t thought to carefully about it. El wasn’t able to lie to her father, so she’d have to come up with something else.  
“I don’t recall this alleged speeding,” she replied, raising an eyebrow. Hopper groaned, putting his head in his hands.  
“Eleven, from now on you’re not driving without a licensed adult in the car. Don’t even touch that car, understand?” He said with authority. Eleven nodded, already thinking of who to ask.  
“You’ll be a good driver, but you have to study hard, ok?” He said in a softer tone.  
“Of course, Dad,” she replied, knowing he always softened when she called him that. El turned briskly, trying to think of the perfect person. Just then she heard a thump on the couch, and she smiled. Perfect.   
“Oh Mikey dear,” she hollered.  
“I swear the God,” she heard him mutter.  
“What do you want?” He asked, eyebrows arched.  
“Well you’re not doing anything so, want to go for a drive?” She asked with a cheeky smile.   
“Are you going to leave me alone if I say no?” He asked sarcastically. Eleven wrinkled her nose, and grabbed his arm.  
“Come on!” She exclaimed, pulling him off the couch.

The two hopped in El’s car, and Mike made a point of grabbing the handle tightly. She rolled her eyes, before backing out. Eleven glanced behind her, before pressing on the peddle. She slowly made her way into the road, but she knew there probably wouldn’t be too many cars. In Hawkins it was rare for someone to drive out to where the Hopper family lived.   
“Jesus El! Why are you driving like a maniac?” Mike said, eyes wide. Eleven purposely went a little faster, just to annoy Mike. He was so pretentious always yelling at her, or trying to change her. She wasn’t the problem, in fact she was doing pretty well for a teenage girl.   
“Mike will you chill? We’re like hardly going over the speed limit, besides what else do you have going on? If you die there’ll be like three people at the funeral,” she remarked. Sure it was a little mean, but he kind of deserved it. He was being rude to her. Mike sighed, and she knew she’d won.  
“Pull over ok? I have to go back to school. We’re going to teach kids who go to schools that don’t acknowledges science as the vast concept it is, and-“ Mike cut himself off, realizing he’d shared more than he normally did with El. She looked at him with a start, most of their conversations were just insulting each other. Now he’d actually spoken to her about something he loved. For a moment both of them looked at each other in silence, before a yell from Mike broke the stair. El slammed the break, and the car came to a halt. Eleven gasped, and she let out a shaky breath. Mike grabbed her hand, but only for a brief second. She almost could have imagined it. Both kids got out of the car, and Eleven breathed out a sigh of relief when she saw there was no damage.  
“Next time you ask me to drive with you, the answer is no.”  
Eleven didn’t say anything.

The weekend went by, but Eleven had no idea how things had went between Joyce and Mr. Newby. Without her car, she hadn’t been able to drive and spy on them, and she couldn’t ask Will to take her or he’d know she was up to no good. She’s called Joyce and told her the predicament, but said that there was no need to worry. She’d buy Hopper a gift from someplace else. So, Eleven had spent the weekend shopping to keep her mind of the one thing that she was so focused on. Monday morning, Eleven was eager to ask Will for all the details. They had P.E together first thing, and while they stood in line to play tennis, they could easily talk to each other. I’m   
“So Will, how was your weekend?” She asked casually.  
“It was pretty good. Mom bought me a new pair of headphones! Thanks for telling her about the sale by the way,” Will added. Eleven smiled, happy at least part of her plan had done some good.  
“Also, crazy thing happened but we saw Mr. Newby! And he helped Mom to understand how this tape thing worked. Apparently he’s really into that. Not sure why he’s the debate teacher then, ya know?” Will rambled. Eleven hid her smirk, the two had finally had a proper moment together! Sure, they wouldn’t get together immediately, but this would certainly make Mr. Newby a happier person. As Eleven schemed in her head, the principal walked into the tennis court.  
“Excuse me, we have a new student today. Her name is Maxine-“ he started, but the new girl cut him off.  
“It’s Max. Not Maxine,” she murmured.  
“Maxing Mayfield. I trust you’ll all make her feel welcome in our school,” he finished, before leaving. The girl immediately caught El’s eye. Her hair was a striking red color, and she had a fierce appearance. Something about her made her seem like she’d be a loyal friend, but not someone to mess with. Immediately, Eleven grabbed Will’s arm.  
“Will, we should befriend her. It stinks to have to move during the year, she probably doesn’t have any friends,” El explained. Will shrugged, but he didn’t disagree.  
“Hi! I’m Jane, but call me Eleven. This is Will,” Eleven introduced herself, gesturing the shy Will behind her. She stuck out her hand, and the red head shook it.   
“Hey, it’s Max. So, is this place always so… boring?” Max asked them. Eleven shrugged, she’d always liked the small town appeal of Hawkins, but she guessed it wasn’t for everyone.  
“I don’t know. School’s school. So where are you from?” El asked her, wondering how different Hawkins had to be for her.  
“California,” Max replied. Eleven raised an eyebrow, she didn’t know anyone from that far away.   
“Nice to meet you Max, you can hang with us if you want,” She said, emphasizing that it was Max’s choice. Eleven didn’t want anyone to think that simply because she was popular, everyone was always drooling over her. To tell the truth, that was hardly the case. In fact, at times people were jealous of her.   
“I’d like that,” Max said with a smile. Eleven beamed back at her, and even Will perked up. She could tell that the three of them were in for an adventure.  
“Come on, let’s get lunch.”


	3. The Norm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Literally only dialogue. El, Will, and Mike chat about life, and school.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This literally took me so long! In the future I’m going to try and have shorter chapters like this, and more frequent updates.

“So, Max, make any friends?” Eleven asked curiously. She wanted to know who her future mutuals would be, and if there was anyone who El wanted Max to meet.  
“Well, so far I haven’t really talking to anyone. Although I did have a nice conversation with a kid, Lucas Sinclair? He was kind of stalking me today, but when I talked to him, we started talking about skating and stuff,” Max explained. Eleven shook her head, meeting Will’s eyes. Lucas was kind of a slacker, and while he was pretty funny, he had a bit of a temper, and didn’t hang out with the best crowd. He also happened to know Dustin pretty well, so Will knew him. The worst part was Lucas had met Mike a few times, and hadn’t despised him! Lucas, Dustin, Mike, and Heck, even Will sometimes, had done some work around the A.V club. Mike had briefly, very briefly, thank God, gone to school with them. He was in a grade above Eleven, making her a Senior in High School, and him a Freshman in college.   
“Max, look let me tell you something. Lucas isn’t the kind of boy you want to date in high school. If you’re going to date a high school boy, you have to be really choosy,” Eleven explained to her. Sure, El knew she being harsh, but she just wanted to make sure her friend didn’t get a crush on a guy she’d never date. 

“Wait, so I can’t be friends with Lucas why? You don’t really have a good reason. Plus who said I’d date him!” Max exclaimed. El cringed, maybe she’d overstepped.   
“Ok, I know, I know. That was a little bit much, but I’m looking out for you, I promise,” El replied, in a calmer voice. Eleven brushed a curl away from her ear, before thinking of what else to say.  
“I mean, Will is sort of friends with him. But Lucas is also my ex-step-brothers friend, which goes to show he has bad judgment.”  
“Wait ex-step-brother? How does that work?” Max asked with amusement. Eleven was thankful for the conversation change, even if it meant she had to talk about Mike.  
“Well, he was my step-brother. Then his mom and my dad broke up. Now he just comes to visit us. Even though I think he does it just to annoy me,” El said a smirk.

She could see Will smiling to himself, and she gave him a look.  
“What’s with the little smirk?” She asked, rolling her eyes.  
“Oh nothing. Nothing at all. Just…” Will doddled ohh.  
“Just what?!” El asked in frustration. She had no idea what was going on, and honestly was done talking about Mike. Even saying his name irritated her.   
“It’s just why do you even not like him? He’s not that bad,” Will replied. Eleven chuckled,  
“Not that bad? Will come on. You don’t know what he’s like at home. Let’s just talk about something else,” she muttered. Max cracked a smile, which was one of the only good things about the conversation.   
“What about, you guys come over after school? And we can go shopping?” El asked with puppy dog eyes. Max looked skeptical, and she bit her lip.  
“I’m not really a shopper,” she trailed off, but Eleven wouldn’t let her change her mind.  
“Please?! I love shopping, and we could have so much fun…” El tried to convince her. Max sighed, and Will chimed in.  
“El really does love shopping. And it’ll be really fun! Maybe you can meet Mike too,” Will said with a chuckle. El shot him a little glare, but smiled at Max.  
“Please?” She begged.  
“Fine, but I am very particular about what I wear, so no forcing me to buy anything,” Max insisted.  
“Deal.”


	4. Timber

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max and El hang out over the weekend and better their friendship. Max ends up meeting Mike, much to El’s dismay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I didn’t make you guys wait a month this time. That’s a start?

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun blasting in her bedroom, El merrily went to work figuring out what to give Max to wear.  
“So I’m liking this whole vintage thing you got going on, but if you really want to make a good first impression, you got to dress to impress,” Eleven explained. She reached into her closet and whipped out an emerald green blazer, with a matching plaid skirt.  
“Now, you would look totally cool wearing this! And the green compliments you hair,” El exclaimed. She handed her friend the outfit, ignoring Max’s sigh.  
“Ugh, I literally can’t imagine wearing this. I mean what do you do when you sweat? This jacket has got to be polyester,” Max grumbled. El chuckled, before taking the outfit back. So maybe not that one, she’d have to find something Max liked. It wasn’t possible that Max didn’t like anything, was it?

An hour later, the girls were eating pizza on her bed, and a pile of clothes lay on Eleven’s floor. So, maybe Max was a lot pickier than El had originally thought. Just then, the door to her room was pushed open wildly, startling both girls.  
“I swear to God El, if I hear one more Cyndi Lauper song I’m going to- oh I didn’t know you had a friend over- strangle you to death!” Mike yelled, only pausing to acknowledge Max.  
“Well if I knew you were visiting I would have locked the door. Max, this is Mike. The dreaded ex-step-brother,” El retorted. Mike waved at Max, then winked at Eleven, “Heed my warning buttercup,” He snickered, before leaving her room. El groaned and slammed her bedroom door. It was so like Mike to bother her when she was with her friend.  
“Sorry about him. He’s going through that edgy post-childhood phase,” El joked. Max cracked a smile, before taking another bite of her pizza.  
“It’s fine. My step-brother is way worse,” Max muttered. El could tell the mood had changed. She got up and turned off her music, before plopping down right next to Max. She had only just met Max, so she didn’t know why she had moved to a small town like Hawkins.  
“What’s wrong Max?” She asked, wrapping her arm around her friend. Max sighed, before moving a piece of her hair away from her face. Eleven noticed she had watery eyes.  
“It’s nothing, just my brother, Billy. I haven’t seen him in a while. He finished college last year, back when we lived in California. My parents said it was time for him to grow up, so we left. I’m glad to be gone from him, but I miss California, and seeing my dad,” Max trailed off quietly. El was taken aback. She had no idea what Max had gone through. It made all of El’s silly little problems pale in comparison.  
“I’m sorry Max. But you’re here now, and if you’d never left, we wouldn’t have met,” Eleven whispered into her ear. She snuggled closer to Max, enveloping her into a hug.  
“Come on, would making fun of Mike make you feel better? Cause it would be totally good with me,” El joked, making Max laugh.  
“It’s ok. This pizza isn’t gonna eat itself!” Max quipped. Eleven was glad that Max was feeling more herself, but she wanted her friend to feel better talking about her feelings. Sure, Hopper wasn’t the most emotional man, but El had always had Joyce to confide in. By the looks of it, Max had no one. For as long as Max was her friend, El promised herself that she’d always make the red-head feel at home with her. 

The next day, Will and El met up to walk to school.  
“So yesterday, Max came over,” Eleven chirped, ready to tell Will all about her weekend plans. He nodded, and she continued.  
“And then Mike was like so annoying, but after he left me and Max bonded so now I’m even more sure that we should be her friend,” she rambled, searching Will’s face to see what he was thinking.  
“Good Ellie. I’m happy for you,” he said sweetly, but Eleven could tell he wasn’t in to it.  
“Willy Will, what’s wrong?” Eleven asked with sudden concern. Normally Will would have asked her questions, or started talking about his own weekend.  
“It’s nothing just, me and Dustin got in a fight yesterday. It’s been bumming me out.” Eleven gasped, they’d been fighting? Sure, they got into a few arguments from time to time, but they never made Will so upset he couldn’t even make conversation. Will was sensitive, whatever Dustin had done must have really hurt him.  
“Do you want me to yell at him? Because I will,” El said with 100% seriousness. If she needed to stand up for Will, regardless of the circumstances, she would. Eleven was sweet to most people, but when it came to someone like Will, who was her best friend, she became a different person.  
“It’s ok Eleven. Really. I’m just kind of annoyed, I need to take my mind of him,” He muttered. El nodded, before pulling Will towards the school. “There’s Max, maybe she can help you,” Eleven said meekly. Dragging Will over, she noticed Max seemed really excited.  
“Max, why are you smiling so much?” She asked with confusion. Max handed her a flyer for a party.  
“Lucas gave it to me. Do you guys want to come?” She asked eagerly. El let out a sigh, she was hoping Max wasn’t into Lucas anymore.  
“I thought the whole Lucas thing was resolved?” She asked, trying to not groan. Will didn’t need to be present for anymore boy drama, he had enough going on in his own life.  
“I know I know. But it’s my first Hawkins party! Please?” Max begged.  
“And, I could get crazy drunk and forget about my Dustin problems…” Will trailed off. El sighed, she wasn’t getting out of this.  
“Ok fine, I’m doing this for the both of you,” Eleven grumbled.  
“Let’s party.”


End file.
